Nicole / January 3, 2018 — Comments Off on Lily James: ‘Playing Churchill’s secretary is so refreshing because it isn’t a love story’

EVENING STANDARD – The British actress, 28, said that taking on the role of Elizabeth Layton in the new biopic was a refreshing change following turns on the big screen in Baby Driver and Cinderella and in TV shows Downton Abbey and War And Peace.

“It was just really great for me and refreshing to play a character where her storyline wasn’t about falling in love with a man and getting engaged and married,” she told the Standard.

“It was about a woman who was ferociously dedicated and she adored Churchill. She was aware that she was in the presence of this great man, but her focus was her work and getting it right and being a really crucial part of the whole war effort.”

She stars opposite Gary Oldman, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as Churchill, and Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, who plays his wife, Clementine.

James said: “With Clemmie she was right there with him all the way through, his support, his courage, and gave him the strength to be the leader that he was. And with Elizabeth and all the other women who worked down in the War Rooms, they were right there, without them things wouldn’t have happened: telegrams wouldn’t have been sent, speeches wouldn’t have been written.”

Playing a real-life character felt like a much bigger responsibility than a fictitious role, she said.

“It’s feels similar to when I play literary characters because you have this book of information and you know what their thoughts are because you can read it,” she explained.

“In a way when you’re playing a character in a book you don’t want to let down the readers and the people who have imagined this character and then with playing a real-life person you think that her children might watch the film so you don’t want to do her an injustice — it feels very important.”

James said: “Initially I started talking about the film because I was so excited about the prospect of working with Joe Wright. He’s someone I really looked up to and Gary Oldman as Churchill is an insanely brilliant thing. Then I started reading Elizabeth Layton’s book and I was so drawn to her and her experiences and this different perspective on Churchill, it was a much more intimate view of him from her eyes. She was an incredible woman, so dedicated and committed to Churchill. She was witnessing history unfold and was the first person to hear these speeches, so it was a real thrill.”

A German soldier tries to determine if the Dutch resistance has planted a spy to infiltrate the home of Kaiser Wilhelm in Holland during the onset of World War II, but falls for a young Jewish Dutch woman during his investigation.

Lily joined the Burberry family in April 2016 as the newest face of the My Burberry fragrances, succeeding the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne, and marking the actress's first-ever advertising campaign. “I am thrilled to be officially joining the Burberry family. I am so proud to be British, so it really means a lot.”

Lily James Online is a non-profit site that is no way affiliated with Lily herself, her management, co-workers or family members. We do not claim ownership of any photos in the gallery, all images are being used under Fair Copyright Law 107 and belong to their rightful owners. All other content and graphics are copyrighted to lily-james.com unless otherwise stated. No Copyright Infringement Intended. If you would like any media removed please contact us before taking legal action. This is merely a fansite run by fans.